Incision needle



Dec; 28, 194s. L KALLENBACH v 2,457,379

INCISION NEEDLE Filed Sept. 28, 1945 fre/7e /fa//e/v aC INVENTOR.

, l A TTORNEK f Patented Dec. 28, 1948 INCISION NEEDLE Irene Kallenbach,Dayton, Ohio, assigner to Vern J. Kallenbach, Erie, rPa.

Application September 28, 1945, Serial No. 619,035

(Cl. 12S-340) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to an instrument such as used by the medicalprofession and more particularly to an incision needle for use inapplying a suture to an incision or wound.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of an incisionneedle for drawing a suture across an incision to be closed.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an incision needleincorporating means for conveniently dispensing a section of material tobe employed as a suture.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an incisionneedle, the various component parts of which are disengageably assembledto form a suitable 4surgical instrument.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an incisionneedle for afiixing a suture in an incision and provided with a barbedlatch to expedite the handling of the suture employed.

The incision needle shown and described herein. has been devised to forma surgical instrument particularly adapted for simply and eicientlyapplying suture as used in the medical profession in closing incisionsand wounds in human anatomy. The instrument consists of a two partstructure, one portion of which comprises a barbed latched needleparticularly adapted for being positioned through the opposing edges ofan incision for example, and adapted to engage and temporarily retain asuture to be drawn through the said opposing edges 'ofv the incision.The

'needle `also includes a suture dispensing device inment of parts and inthe details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it beingunderstood that changes in the precise embodiment of the inventionherein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the incision needle with parts brokenaway and parts in cross section.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the incision needle with parts brokenaway and parts in cross section.

By referring to the drawings and Figures 1 and 2 in particular it willbe seen that the instrument consists of an incision needle incorporatinga handle portion I0 having a secondary handle Il positioned at rightangles with respect thereto, and that the handle lll is provided with amounting l2 for a reel I3 upon which a continuous length of suturematerial I4 is conveniently carried. The reel i3 is removably positionedon the mounting l2 by means of a readily disengageable screw l5. Theuppermost end of the handle l0 is provided with a chuck assembly |16which serves to position a suture guide member Il which in turn isprovided with an `offset projection I8 which carries a chuck E9 which inturn mounts an incision needle 20. The suture guide member I1 is curvedthroughout its length and the edges thereof are out-turned to form achannel 2| for the reception of the suture I4. A plurality of crossmembers 22 serve to retain the suture member in the outwardly facingchannel 2l of the suture guide member l1. The uppermost or tip end ofthe suture guide member I'l is dished out in a modified spoon shape, asindicated in the drawings by the numeral 23, and is provided with anorice 24 through which the suture is passed so as to bring it into thearea of the adjacently positioned incision needle 20 of the instrument.

By referring now to the incision needle 20 itwill be observed that it isformed in an outward curve and that its uppermost or outermost end isprovided with `a barbed tip 25, a barb 26 and a latch 21, the latch 21being pivoted to the needle proper by means of a pivot 28 and is locatedin a slot formed in the end section of the incision needle 2l) so as tobe movable therein, as indi- -cated by the dotted lines in Figure 1. Itwill be observed that the latch 21 is capable of approximately degreesrotation about the pivot 28 to enable it to be used in latched positionas shown in solid lines in Figure 1, as in pulling a section of suturethrough the opposing edges of an incision and also is capable of beingmoved into complete retracted position within the slot in the end of theneedle as indicated by the dotted lines in opposite relation to the fullline elevation. The incision needle portion 2li of the instrument isremovably afxed to the remainder of the instrument by means of the chucki9 which permits ready interchange of the actual flesh engaging portionsof the instrument, and the suture guide portion H is lalso disengageablyaffixed to the handle portion l0 of the instrument `by means of thechuck assembly I6. The incision needle as employed by a -surgeon as, forexample, in closing an incision, forms a convenient -means for supplyingthe suture and maintaining it in proper workable lposition and at thesame time providing a convenient and simply employed mechanism formoving the suture through the opposing edges of the incision to bejoined.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that several alternatemethods of applying the suture with the incision needle may bepracticed, and one such example follows. A section of suture I4 oflength suilicient to close the incision is moved outwardly through theorice 24 of the suture guide member H and the incision needle portion 20of the instrument is passed through the opposing edges of theincisionwith the latch 2? in retracted position. When the tip of theneedle emerges from the opposite side of the incision from whence it isinserted, the suture is grasped between the tip 25 ofthe needle 20 andthe latch 2l and is then drawn back through thereby forming a stitchthrough the adjacent edges of the incision, This operation is repeateduntil suicient stitches have been placed to suitably hold the incisionin `desired yrelation for subsequent healing, it being observed that theformation and construction of the -suture guide il of the instrument andthe incision needle 20 thereof greatly facilitate the application of thesuture to the incision area as well as the passing of the suture throughthe edges of the incision in forming the completed suture.

The instrument is provided with the handle I and the secondary handle ilpositioned at right angles thereto and which secondary handle Il is alsocurved so that it may be conveniently held by the surgeon for use. Itwill vbe obvious -to those skilled in the art that the use lof thethrough, means on said handle for supplying a section of suture to thesaid guide and a chuck on said oiset projection of said suture guidevmember for removably mounting an incision needle, the said incisionneedle ,including la `barbed latch to enable it to be employed inpulling a section of suture through the .opposing edges. of .an incisiontol be joined.

2. A combination surgical instrument for .supplying and applying asuture and consisting of a suture supplying `and guide member, the

said suture supplying and guide member comprising an outwardly bowed,transversely curved member terminating in a flattened spoon shapedsection having an orifice centrally disposed therein, a chuck ailixed tothe said suture supplying and guide member near its innermost end and anincision needle positioned in spaced xed relation with respect to thesaid suture supplying Vand guide memberthereby, the outermost ends ofthe said suture supplying and guide member and the said incision needlebeing adjacently disposed, means on the said instrument 2forsupplying asection of suture through the said guide member to the area of the saidneedle land for delivering the same through the said relation withrespect to the said suture supplying and guide member thereby, theoutermost ends of the said suture supplying and guide member and thelsaid incision needle being adjacently disposed, a reel on theinstrument for continuously supplying a section of suture through thesaid guide member to the area of the said needle and for delivering thesaine through the said orice, and means on the vsaid needle forholdingsaid suture vto permit it to be drawn through an incision as in closingthe same.

IRENE KALLENBACH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date ,373,372 King Nov. 15, 18871,583,271 Biro May 4, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 189,378France Mar. 15, 1888 458,319 France Oct. 8, 1913 OTHER REFERENCES V.lMueller & Co. Catalogue, '7th edition, Page 227.

